So much to talk about, so little time. Haglund's got to spend the rest of the weekend revving up his new iPhone that came yesterday. Seriously, when you register your prints on the home button it feels like the iPhone kisses your fingers. Ah, love.
Saturday afternoon's All Balanchine program started at a high level and zoomed higher with each ballet. But prior to La Sonnambula, the audience was nearly put to sleep with another melatonic See the Music… installment. They are simply too long to include on programs where there are already two intermissions.
The entire cast of La Sonnambula was fabulous, but let's take a moment to focus on Faye Arthurs who was yesterday's Coquette. Flirty, mysterious, beautiful face, gorgeous balletic body, she really made it clear why she was the focus of the attention on the stage when she was there. Standing in a far downstage corner in partial darkness, she was nearly still while the rest of the stage was active but your attention was on her. It's not easy to make standing still compelling, but she did.
Last week in The Four Temperaments, Arthurs was paired with Zachary Catazaro in the Theme. An attractive pair, both physically and temperamentally, they made their brief PdD quite memorable. Arthurs' developpes to the front were that rare combination of extreme height and maximum turnout without distorting the torso – truly lovely. And when Haglund saw the two of them again later in the week, he noticed how smoothly and gradually her endless arabesque ascended during a promenade. There's a maturity and a restraint in the way Arthurs applies herself to the choreography that helps you see more clearly what Balanchine intended.
Amar Ramasar, the handsome and seductive Baron, whisked The Coquette away from Sebastien Marcovici's Poet who then suffered the ultimate fate for his own flirting with The Coquette. Janie Taylor was mesmerizing as the Sleepwalker. Was she The Poet's unattainable love or his unwritable poem or the peace that he would achieve only in death? Did The Poet stray too far outside of his dedication to his art when he flirted with the more material world and thus lose his connection with his poetry? Dunno.
Daniel Ulbricht was electrifying as the Harlequin. Lauren King had an exceptional debut in the Divertissements PdD opposite Antonio Carmena. The shapes of Lauren's legs and feet are becoming stronger and clearer with each new role. Last week, her Winter variation in The Four Seasons included balances that were as plumb and secure as the building's foundation footings.
Joaquin De Luz and Teresa Reichlen were riveting as the Prodigal Son and The Siren: he – the handsome, spoiled rich kid; she – the serpent-like temptation who brought the Prodigal Son to his knees. Troy Schumacher and Giovanni Villalobos were a fabulous duo as the dedicated, but not too dedicated, servants to the Prodigal Son. Jonathan Stafford was the haunting Father who forgave the Son and welcomed him back home.
And then it was time for Leggz Kowroski to kick it all to a close as the smoking-hot Stripper in Slaughter On Tenth Avenue. Haglund was sitting next to a first-time visitor from Sacramento who couldn't resist several "Oh my goodnesses" as Leggz strutted her stuff. The visitor told Haglund that they have ballet in Sacramento, but nothing like this. Tyler Angle was fantastic as the hoofer – great acting, spirited tapping, and very funny. But it was all about Maria and the dangerous beauty of those legs as she wielded them around like sensual weapons. Yes, Maria's legs should be declared illegal dangerous Swords of Sex.
So many fabulous performances today, but once Maria Kowroski stepped on stage, it was "game over, fans." The afternoon's Pump Bump Award, a dangerously seductive stiletto, goes to Maria for her game-ending performance in Slaughter On Tenth Avenue.
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